Immigration-service fees to nearly double

Wednesday

May 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 30, 2007 at 9:15 AM

WASHINGTON -- Starting July 30, immigrants applying for citizenship, green cards and other services will pay nearly twice as much as they do now under a plan officials promised will transform the nation's chief immigration agency into a more efficient operation.

WASHINGTON -- Starting July 30, immigrants applying for citizenship, green cards and other services will pay nearly twice as much as they do now under a plan officials promised will transform the nation's chief immigration agency into a more efficient operation.

The new fees for citizenship and immigration services, which will double the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' $1.25 billion budget, are aimed at speeding up the processing of paperwork.

But critics suggested the substantial increases could put the squeeze on immigrants.

Emilio Gonzales, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said the fee-dependent agency needs the cash infusion to improve services.

He promised "substantial reductions" in the time it

takes the agency to process an application.

He said the fee increases also would allow the agency to move from a paper-based to an electronic system.

Nearly every immigration or naturalization fee would be raised, and some of the increases would be substantial, according to figures supplied by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:

• The application fee for citizenship would increase from $330 to $675, but it would be waived for those in the military.

• The fee to apply for status as a legal permanent resident would rise from $325 to $1,010, including the cost of fingerprints. Children younger than 14 and filing with a parent would pay $600; applicants 79 or older would pay $930.

• The cost of work permits would rise from $180 to $340.

Some fees would not change, while the $270 fee for a temporary visa for victims of human trafficking would be ended.

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